Chapter 35 - The Flight of the Fat Lady
"He's been sighted, he's been sighted!" Harry, Ron, 'Mione and I heard Seamus yell when we entered the Great Hall weeks later.
"Who?" Dean asked from across the table from Seamus.
"Sirius Black!" Seamus yelped. Harry and I looked at eachother and ran over to where the boys were sat.
"Where?" My twin asked who had just appeared and sat next to Seamus.
"Dufftown." Hermione told her as she read it herself. "That's not far from here." 'Mione looked up at Harry then me.
"Dufftown?" I squeaked and looked at Allie.
"That's where we live." Allie told the others shocked.
"Where our pregnant mother is." I growled. Damn him. If he went anywhere near my mother I'd tear him a new one.
"Pregnant with Triplets." We heard from behind us. It was Abe.
"Triplets?" Allie asked grinning.
"Yup." Abe replied. "Just got a letter through this morning."
"She really can't catch a break." I whistled. Then it hit me. "The bastard might have been near mum and our baby brother and sisters." My sibling both scowled. "I'm gonna tell Moony." They nodded. Abe went off to tell Addy while went back to reading the Prophet. "I'll be back in a bit guys." I said to my three friends before setting off to the front of the hall where Uncle Moony sat eating breakfast.
"What can I do for you this morning, Ash?" Uncle Moony asked.
"Mum's having triplets." I grinned at him.
"Oh my. You're going to rival the Weasley's now." Moony chuckled.
"They'll be in Gryffindor. All three. Mark my words." I replied. "I just thought I'd tell you. Have you read the Prophet this morning?"
"No, I can't say I have." He said thoughtfully while munching a piece of toast.
"He's been sighted in Dufftown. Black's been near mum and the babies, Moony." I told him gravely. "On a lighter note, we need to pick 6 names all beginning with 'A'."
"Dufftown is not far from here, Nine Lives." Moony repeated what 'Mione had said earlier.
"I know. He's on his way here. And if he could get passed the Dementor's in Azkaban, who's to say he won't do it here." I sighed.
"Hogwarts is the safest place in England. Everything will be fine." Moony replied. I nodded and left to get breakfast with the others.
"Potion's first." Hermione reminded us. Harry, Ron and I groaned at the idea of Snape and Slytherin's first thing in the morning.
"Ditch?" Ron asked hopefully.
"Absolutely not." Hermione replied.
"Charms after." I said thoughtfully. "I might have to ditch you 'Mione and sit with Allie to think up baby names." I grinned happily.
"Triplets." Ron chuckled.
"It'll take us up to seven, Weasley. Hyde clan's gonna beat the Weasley clan." I chuckled.
"What's this we hear about beating Weasley's?" I heard the voice of Fred and George.
"Ash's mum having her fifth, sixth and seventh baby in..." Harry told them.
"March." I finished. "It should have been quadruplets so we could have equal sexes in the house. Unlike your poor mum and Gin."
"Your mum and our mum should start a club..." Fred started.
"With the amount of kids they've given or gonna give birth to." George finished.
"Anyway, we're off."
"DADA first."
"Bysie bye." They finished together and went.
"We'd best be off to." Harry said. We nodded and set off to Potions.
-.-
Potions was extra hard that Friday for some reason, resulting many points being lost from Gryffindor because of that greasy git. Charms was good although me and Allie weren't listening. We came up with the six names. We each chose a favourite name, Allie chose Arianna May Hyde for the first girl name while I chose Alec Henry Hyde after Granddad Bell. We then each chose another name of the opposite sex. I chose Adrienne Jane Hyde while Allie chose Aston Lee Hyde sort of after Dad apparently. We both came up with the final two names, both after Greek Gods. Andromeda Grace Hyde and Apollo William Hyde. Apollo's middle name was after William Shakespeare, my choice of course. A muggle writer from years ago. DADA was brilliant as usual, we learned about Grindylows which was interesting, but when are his lessons not? The next day we had Quidditch practice, getting ready for our first match in our captains final year.
"Gryffindor hasn't won for seven years now. Okay, so we've had the worst luck in the world - injuries - then the tournament getting called off last year..." Wood swallowed, as though the memory still brought a lump to his throat. "But we also know we've got the best-ruddy-team-in-the-school," he said, punching a fist into his other hand, the old manic glint back in his eye. "We've got three superb Chasers." He said looking towards me, Katie and Angelina. I took an exaggerated bow while grinning, Katie and Ange did the same before we burst into giggles. Oliver, for once, waited patiently for us to finish. "We've got two unbeatable Beaters."
"Stop it, Oliver, you're embarrassing us," said Fred and George Weasley together, pretending to blush.
"And we've got a Seeker who has never failed to win us a match!" Wood rumbled, looking at Harry with a kind of furious pride. "And me," he added as an afterthought.
"We think you're very good too, Oliver," said George.
"Spanking good Keeper," said Fred.
"The point is," Wood went on, resuming his pacing, "the Quidditch Cup should have had our name on it these last two years. Ever since Harry joined the team, I've thought the thing was in the bag. But we haven't got it, and this year's the last chance we'll get to finally see our name on the thing..." Wood spoke so dejectedly that even Fred and George looked sympathetic.
"Oliver, this year's our year," said Fred.
"We'll do it, Oliver!" said Angelina.
"Definitely," said Harry.
"Go Gryffindor!" I yelled. The team whooped the full of determination, the team started the training session, after choosing to have those three evenings a week. The weather was getting colder and wetter, the nights darker, but no amount of mud, wind, or rain would tarnish the idea of us finally winning the huge, silver Quidditch Cup. We left the pitch late in the afternoon after skipping lunch to practice for longer after the break over the holidays, we were now fighting fit ready for this year's win. After a hearty meal in the Great Hall the four of us walked up to the Common Room but were stopped by a crowd of people waiting outside the Fat Lady's portrait.
"What's going on?" Ron asked.
"Someone's probably forgotten the password." Hermione said logically.
"Probably Neville." I grinned at my own joke.
"Oi!" I heard someone say from behind me. It was Neville.
"Haha, sorry mate." I grinned at him again.
"Make way! Make way for the Headmaster." Percy Weasley, the head boy, ordered. A gap appeared in-between the students and that's when I saw the portrait. The Fat Lady was gone and there were 3 long cuts in it that looked like it was from a knife.
"Oh my God." I gasped. I had a bad feeling.
"What's happened?" Harry asked shocked at what we had seen as Dumbledore climbed towards the empty portrait with McGonagall. He took one look at the portrait before turning to the Gryffindor Head of House.
"We need to find her," said Dumbledore. "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."
"You'll be lucky!" said a cackling voice. It was Peeves the Poltergeist, bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage or worry.
"What do you mean, Peeves?" said Dumbledore calmly, and Peeves's grin faded a little. He didn't dare taunt Dumbledore. Instead he adopted an oily voice that was no better than his cackle.
"Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful," he said happily. "Poor thing," he added unconvincingly.
"Did she say who did it?" said Dumbledore quietly.
"Oh yes, Professor Head," said Peeves, with the air of one cradling a large bombshell in his arms. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see." Peeves flipped over and grinned at Dumbledore from between his own legs. "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black." I gasped and looked at Harry before grabbing his arm and running. I heard Hermione and Ron run after us as I made my way to Uncle Moony's room. I threw open the door to his classroom and ran up the stairs and threw open his office door where he sat at his desk marking homework. He looked up in shock when he saw the four of us panting from all the running.
"Ash?" Moony asked.
"He's in the castle. Sirius Black... in the castle... Won't come near you... Merlin... exhausted..." I panted as I tried to explain.
"Come in, come in. I'll floo call the headmaster. Would you like some tea?" He questioned as we sat on his two sofas and rested while Uncle Moony went to the fireplace.
"Yes please, Professor." Hermione replied while Harry and Ron nodded. I was fine. Moony finished the floo call then poured the tea.
"After you've finished, I'm to escort you to the main hall and to help search the castle for Black. I trust you all understand why it isn't safe for Harry or Ash to be alone when Sirius Black is on the loose." Moony finished, we all nodded as we finished our tea. "Come on then. We'd better be off." We walked quickly to the Great Hall and picked up a purple sleeping bag each and slept in the corner while Dumbledore left the Head Boy and Girl in charge, we were to go to sleep straight away which was boring. It took hours for any of us to get to sleep and every hour a Professor would pop in to check while the two Heads walked around telling people off for talking. At around two in the morning Dumbledore came into the Great Hall and met up with Percy near us as we pretended to sleep.
"Any sign of him, Professor?" asked Percy in a whisper.
"No. All well here?" Dumbledore whispered back his question.
"Everything under control, sir." Percy replied.
"Good. There's no point moving them all now. I've found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You'll be able to move them back in tomorrow." Professor Dumbledore informed the Head boy.
"And the Fat Lady, sir?" Percy asked.
"Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparently she refused to let Black in without the password, so he attacked. She's still very distressed, but once she's calmed down, I'll have Mr. Filch restore her." Dumbledore chuckled.
"Headmaster?" I opened my eyes a little and saw that Snape had approached them. "The whole of the third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either."
"What about the Astronomy tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?" Dumbledore asked.
"All searched." Snape stated.
"Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger." Dumbledore said. I thought quite sarcastically which made me grin.
"Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?" asked Snape.
"Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next." Dumbledore replied.
"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before - ah - the start of term?" asked Snape sounding angry, I listened carefully.
"I do, Severus," said Dumbledore, and there was something like warning in his voice.
"It seems - almost impossible - that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns whet, you appointed -" Snape continued. I growled quietly, he thought Uncle Moony had let that damn man into Hogwarts. What a fool, I was tempted to tell him that. My eyes where open fully as I watched them both, glaring at Snape. Professor Dumbledore caught my eye.
"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it," said Dumbledore, and his tone made it so clear that the subject was closed that Snape didn't reply. I smiled my thanks to Dumbledore who smiled back before he turned back to Percy and Snape. "I must go down to the dementors, I said I would inform them when our search was complete."
"Didn't they want to help, sir?" said Percy.
"Oh yes," said Dumbledore somewhat coldly. "But I'm afraid no Dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am headmaster." I chuckled a little to myself as they both walked away before the four of us looked at each other.
"What was that all about?" Ron whispered.
"Snape just being a git, he doesn't trust anyone." I whispered back.
"We should get some sleep." Hermione stated quietly. I nodded my agreement and rolled and fell into a fitful slumber. My dreams haunted by the escaped convict after Harry and I.